Playhouse’s “Evita” not to be missed

By Katie WinklerFor the Times-News

Published: Monday, June 10, 2013 at 2:02 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, June 10, 2013 at 2:02 p.m.

Whether in the end she is seen as a saint or a sinner, Eva Peron was a force to be reckoned with and so is Flat Rock Playhouse’s first big musical of the season, “Evita,” that tells the story of her turbulent life.

Written in 1976, this rock opera/biopic by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber is similar in structure to “Jesus Christ Superstar” and includes the same eclectic collection of music, ranging, as director Richard Hinds says, “From the more classical sound in ‘Requiem’ to the full rock sound in ‘Oh, What a Circus.’”

Similar to “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Evita” also employs a much-needed narrator, played marvelously by Charlie Brady as Che Guevara, the Argentine-born Marxist who becomes Castro’s right-hand man during the Cuban Revolution. Brady, with his scruffy beard and black beret, even looks strikingly like the real Guevara.

With marvelous presence and a powerful voice, Brady as Che leads us through Eva Peron’s tumultuous life, from her humble beginnings as the illegitimate child of a wealthy rancher to the pinnacle of her success as first lady of Argentina, finally ending with her early death.

Actually, the play begins with the end. As Eva’s body, carefully preserved, lies in state, her beloved Argentine people sing of her greatness in a formal Latin Requiem. Then Che begins to cynically sing of Peron’s true ambition in the rock/pop “Oh, What a Circus,” setting the contrasting images of Eva and introducing one of the marvelous leitmotifs that winds its way through the score.

Che takes us back to when Eva is 15 and meets Magaldi, a night club singer, played suavely by John Riddle, whose good looks, superb tenor voice and impeccable comic timing make his performance a triple delight, one of the best of the evening. Che, Magaldi and Eva herself introduce us to Eva’s many other lovers in quick succession during the funny “Good Night and Thank You,” implying quite strongly the nature of Eva’s rise to stardom and political power.

That power is wonderfully represented in the next song, “The Art of the Possible,” a striking militaristic number featuring unusual choreography and a strong male chorus. It’s wonderful. We are here introduced to General Juan Peron, played brilliantly by Ronald L. Brown. Eva and Peron become lovers, cruelly and casually replacing Peron’s previous mistress. Jane Bunting, as the mistress, turns a small role into one of the highlights when she sings, “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.”

Although the ensemble, especially the dancers, are strong throughout the show, Act I ends powerfully with the chorus’s shining moment, “A New Argentina,” a powerful anthem that will continue to ring in audience members’ ears long after the show is over.

Anna Eilinsfeld as Evita, begins to take control during Act II, wowing the audience with a strong performance of the show’s signature song, “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” Eilinsfeld, stunning in a white inaugural gown, embodies the tiny but fierce woman whose goodwill to the poor of Argentina was only outweighed by her desire to seek revenge against the politicians and privileged that praised her to her face but in reality mistrusted and reviled her.

Eva’s desire to triumph over those who oppressed and opposed her is powerfully seen in the song “The Actress Hasn’t Learned the Lines.” The next few songs continue to show the contrasting images of Eva that make up this enigmatic character. Perhaps she was the embezzling pseudo-philanthropist we see in “And the Money Kept Rolling In,” or maybe the benevolent leader as in “Santa Evita,” a wonderful opportunity for the excellent YouTheatre Children Ensemble to shine.

She could have been the iconic image that kept the government in power as Peron and his officers sing in “She is a Diamond,” or just a woman who longed to be loved as we see in one of Eilinsfeld’s finest moments, “You Must Love Me.” What Eva Peron may have been or become will never be fully known because cancer cuts her life short at 33.

Throughout the second act we watch her grow weaker, the pain growing stronger. Then her life flashes before her eyes, she sings one last lament and it’s over. The play’s end may seem too abrupt at first, but it’s altogether fitting. Peron was a beautiful woman who lived a wild, bold and reckless, but short, life. In the end the husband who loved, or at the very least needed her, could only preserve her outward beauty, not the flaming spirit inside. Yet that spirit lives on through the words and music of “Evita,” a fine production by Flat Rock Playhouse, not to be missed.

Katie Winkler, a member of the Dramatist Guild of America, teaches English composition, literature and creative writing at Blue Ridge Community College.

<p>Whether in the end she is seen as a saint or a sinner, Eva Peron was a force to be reckoned with and so is Flat Rock Playhouse's first big musical of the season, “Evita,” that tells the story of her turbulent life. </p><p>Written in 1976, this rock opera/biopic by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber is similar in structure to “Jesus Christ Superstar” and includes the same eclectic collection of music, ranging, as director Richard Hinds says, “From the more classical sound in 'Requiem' to the full rock sound in 'Oh, What a Circus.'”</p><p>Similar to “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” “Evita” also employs a much-needed narrator, played marvelously by Charlie Brady as Che Guevara, the Argentine-born Marxist who becomes Castro's right-hand man during the Cuban Revolution. Brady, with his scruffy beard and black beret, even looks strikingly like the real Guevara.</p><p>With marvelous presence and a powerful voice, Brady as Che leads us through Eva Peron's tumultuous life, from her humble beginnings as the illegitimate child of a wealthy rancher to the pinnacle of her success as first lady of Argentina, finally ending with her early death. </p><p>Actually, the play begins with the end. As Eva's body, carefully preserved, lies in state, her beloved Argentine people sing of her greatness in a formal Latin Requiem. Then Che begins to cynically sing of Peron's true ambition in the rock/pop “Oh, What a Circus,” setting the contrasting images of Eva and introducing one of the marvelous leitmotifs that winds its way through the score.</p><p>Che takes us back to when Eva is 15 and meets Magaldi, a night club singer, played suavely by John Riddle, whose good looks, superb tenor voice and impeccable comic timing make his performance a triple delight, one of the best of the evening. Che, Magaldi and Eva herself introduce us to Eva's many other lovers in quick succession during the funny “Good Night and Thank You,” implying quite strongly the nature of Eva's rise to stardom and political power. </p><p>That power is wonderfully represented in the next song, “The Art of the Possible,” a striking militaristic number featuring unusual choreography and a strong male chorus. It's wonderful. We are here introduced to General Juan Peron, played brilliantly by Ronald L. Brown. Eva and Peron become lovers, cruelly and casually replacing Peron's previous mistress. Jane Bunting, as the mistress, turns a small role into one of the highlights when she sings, “Another Suitcase in Another Hall.” </p><p>Although the ensemble, especially the dancers, are strong throughout the show, Act I ends powerfully with the chorus's shining moment, “A New Argentina,” a powerful anthem that will continue to ring in audience members' ears long after the show is over.</p><p>Anna Eilinsfeld as Evita, begins to take control during Act II, wowing the audience with a strong performance of the show's signature song, “Don't Cry for Me Argentina.” Eilinsfeld, stunning in a white inaugural gown, embodies the tiny but fierce woman whose goodwill to the poor of Argentina was only outweighed by her desire to seek revenge against the politicians and privileged that praised her to her face but in reality mistrusted and reviled her.</p><p>Eva's desire to triumph over those who oppressed and opposed her is powerfully seen in the song “The Actress Hasn't Learned the Lines.” The next few songs continue to show the contrasting images of Eva that make up this enigmatic character. Perhaps she was the embezzling pseudo-philanthropist we see in “And the Money Kept Rolling In,” or maybe the benevolent leader as in “Santa Evita,” a wonderful opportunity for the excellent YouTheatre Children Ensemble to shine. </p><p>She could have been the iconic image that kept the government in power as Peron and his officers sing in “She is a Diamond,” or just a woman who longed to be loved as we see in one of Eilinsfeld's finest moments, “You Must Love Me.” What Eva Peron may have been or become will never be fully known because cancer cuts her life short at 33.</p><p>Throughout the second act we watch her grow weaker, the pain growing stronger. Then her life flashes before her eyes, she sings one last lament and it's over. The play's end may seem too abrupt at first, but it's altogether fitting. Peron was a beautiful woman who lived a wild, bold and reckless, but short, life. In the end the husband who loved, or at the very least needed her, could only preserve her outward beauty, not the flaming spirit inside. Yet that spirit lives on through the words and music of “Evita,” a fine production by Flat Rock Playhouse, not to be missed. </p><p>Katie Winkler, a member of the Dramatist Guild of America, teaches English composition, literature and creative writing at Blue Ridge Community College.</p>